Baptismal apparatus



Feb- 22, 1949 P. H. GARRETT BAPTISMAL APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l ihmmmmmmummm ATTORN FehZZ, 1949. RHGARRETT 2,462,627

BAPTI'SMAL AP2ARATU Filed May a, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 22*, 1949.

P. H; GARRETT BAPTISMAL APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 8, 1946 RN Y5.

Feb. 22, 1949. P. H. GARRETT BAPTISMAL APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 8, 1946 T fslVfFl/VTOR TiclaTmm.

ATTORN EYS.

Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

The present invention relates to novel baptizing equipment having as its primary object to facilitate the baptismal ceremony of immersion in respect to physical eiforts required in lowering and lifting the candidate into and out of the water respectively.

It is generally well known that in carrying out the ceremony of baptism by immersion, the candidate enters a pool of water fully clothed and robed. The depth of the water depends upon the average heights of the candidates, but in any instance the weight of the candidate is greatly increased as the clothing becomes saturated with water, so that in the case of large persons the physical effort required to lift them to erect position after immersion is greatly increased, drawing heavil upon the strength of the minister.

The greater difficulty experienced in handling candidates in this ceremony arises from the shock of sudden submergence, the sense of strangling which somewhat naturally follows sudden immersion, and the fear the candidate has that the minister will not have sufiicient strength to raise him quickly enough from beneath the water to erect position. In the immersion operation, the candidate sometimes loses his foothold or balance and consequently struggles senselessly to gain it. Unless he is strongly gripped properly so as to prevent such struggling, the ceremony loses its dignity and meaning.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus to assist in the manual operation of lowering and quickly lifting the candidate, this apparatus including a swingable supporting frame on which the candidate stands, said frame being readily swung with the body resting thereagainst beneath the surface of the water and then quickly lifted to normal, erect position.

To assist in the manual raising movement aforesaid, I provide auxiliary lifting means which efiectively sustains part of the combined weight of the swingable frame and the candidates body as these are lowered into the water and tends to quickly shift them back to normal, erect position under the easy control of the minister. The auxiliary lifting means so cooperates with the swingable frame as to increasingly resist the lowering of said frame during depressing movement, relatively speaking, thus building up energy to assist in the elevation movement.

It is further an objective to provide adjusting means for the swingable frame and auxiliary devices so as to take care of candidates of different weights and heights.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred form of my baptismal apparatus, the body supporting frame being shown in full lines in its normal, erect position, and in dotted lines in the lowermost collapsed position;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken about on the plane of the line 22 of Figure 1, and showing more particularly the structure of the base frame and the auxiliary lifting means of this form of the invention;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus with the upper section of the body frame in an elevated or extended position;

Figure 4 is a similar View to that of Figure 3, but showing the upper section of the body frame lowered into its telescoping position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4, and showing the form of the back supports and telescoping connections of the two sections of the body supporting frame;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the travelling block to which the spring tensioning means for the body frame are connected;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention employing an air chamber or buoyancy means in substitution for the spring tensioning auxiliary lifting means of the preferredform;

Figure 8 is a top plan View of the form of this apparatus shown in Figure '7 of this invention;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the body frame members, and the locking means employed for holding the sections of the body frame in the adjusted positions thereof;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line |0ID of Figure 11 of the modified form of this invention, showing more clearly the air chamber and the valve intake embodied in the manipulating handle for introducing Water to a 3 greater or lesser extent dependent upon the weight of the candidate to be baptized;

Figure 11 is a front elevation of the modified form of this invention with the sections of the body frame telescoped to collapse the sections;

Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of the line l2-l2 of Figure 11;

Figures 13 and 14 are detail views of the valve member for controlling the introduction of water into the air chamber;

Figure 15 is a sectional view on the line I--| 5 of Figure 13, showing the valve closed; and

Figure 16 is a horizontal sectional view on the line IB-I6 of Figure 14, showing the valve in its open position.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

It is to be observed at the outstart that the apparatus of this invention is designed to be of a portable character, so as to be disposed in'the customary baptismal tank of the church edifice and readily removed therefrom or even employed in outside pools or bodies of water as may be de-" sired. However, where it is to be a permanent installation, the base frame hereinafter referred to may be dispensed with and the swinging frame pivotally connected to the bottom of the water pool or tank.

In carrying out the construction of the preferred form of this invention, I provide a base frame or support composed of the parallel angleiron bars I, and the cross bars 2 and 2. This frame may be fixed to the floor of the pool in any desired manner if it is to become a permanent installation.

At one end, the frame is formed with vertical.

supporting ears 3 to the top of whichthe swingable body supporting frame, generally designated 1, is pivotally connected, as at5. The frame t is provided with ear extensions 6, spaced from the lower end, and the pivot pins 5 referred to pass through these extensions so' as to permit the frame d to be swung from its normally vertical position to the lower limit of movement shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The swingable frame just mentioned comprises two sections, the lower 4a and the upper adjustable section ilb, one telescoping in the other, so as to accommodate candidates of different heights. Each of these sections is formed with a dished backing plate 1 and 1', respectively. The plate 7 at its sides is turned into, or provided with, tubular side members 8, and likewise the upper plate I is formed with side tubes 9 of a diameter readily fitting within the lower tubular side members 8. The latter, however, are slotted, as shown in Figure 5, so as to receive the edges of the upper plate adjacent the side tubes. Both of these plates are provided with drain openings 58 to allow quick escape of water after submergence and during the elevation of the frame. At the bottom of this swingable frame support there is provided a platform IS on which the candidate stands, and hand rails 14 extend forwardly from the sides so as to be grasped by the candidate while standing on said platform. At the top center of this swingable frame, a hand grip I5 is provided to enable the minister to move the frame downwardly and upwardly during the baptizing ceremony. V

In the preferred form of this invention above referred to, auxiliary lifting means is provided in the form of adjustable spring tensioning mechanism. This is composed of' a pair of coiled" 4 springs l6, each of which is connected at one end to cars I1 secured to the back plate I, and at its other end to the ears l8 formed on a travelling block l9 mounted on the translating screw shaft 20 carried by the bottom or base frame. This shaft has its bearings in the cross bars 2 and 2 of said frame and carries at one end a beveled pinion 2i engaging a correspondingly beveled pinion 22 on the lower end of the vertical shaft 23. The last-mentioned shaft is mounted in the spaced brackets 24 attached to the back plate I. At the top of shaft 23 is a pinion 25 meshing with a corresponding pinion 26 on the horizontal shaft 21.

To adjust the tension of the springs, a hand wheel 28 is fixed on each end of the shaft 21 to enable operation of the shafting from either side of the swingable frame. Rotation of these wheels will cause the block l9 to travel along the screw 28 and thereby provide the desired amount of tension, according to theweight of the candidate, to assist in the elevation of the swingable frame and the weight carried thereby, as the minister lifts the candidate to erect position after immersion. By virtue of the arrangement described, as the swingable frame is lowered, the set tension 'of the springs l6 isv increased to an amount depending upon the. degree of lowering movement of the frame and the adjustment of said tensioning springs. Itwill be understood that upon movement of this frame from the normally vertical position, the pinions'ZI and 2-2 are disengaged, but are ire-engaged upon restoration of the vertical disposition of the frame.

The operation of this form of the apparatus will be clear from the foregoing description. When the candidate enters the .pool; he takes his position standing upon the platform l3, and leaning against the swingable frame with his hands grasping the hand rails Hi. The frame section 4!) is previously raised or lowered according to'the height of the candidate and the spring tension set by the operation of thehand wheels as before described. By the hand grip 15, the min,- ister lowers the swingable frame sufficiently to immerse the candidate, and then quickly elevates said frame with the assistance of the tensioning mechanism. The minister is thus relieved of, the v greater portion' of the strain incident to the performance of this ceremony, and the candidate is given the desired confidence and greater appreciation of the significance of the'ceremony.

When the apparatus is not in use, the swing,- able frame may be lowered tothe position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

Passing now to thatform'of' the apparatus shown in Figures 7 to 16, it will be-noted that the construction of this invention is modified only to the extent of the substitution of a float or buoyancy means for the tensioningmechanism of the preferred form, and theprdvision of locking means for the adjustable sections of "the swingable frame. The'springs andshafting are the form of a shailow receptacle 3'! which is of a size sufficient to hold enough water to allow the body'supportin'g frame'to -"be lowered in the operation 'of immersing the candidate while maintaining a sufiicient'quantity of ai'r 'to'provide' buoyancy toa degree which will assist the minister in elevating the candidate; through a portion of the swing of the'supportinglfraine; r A

The amount of water w ion is introduced into the receptacle 3| depends uponthe weight of the candidate, that is to say, the greater the weight of the candidate, the greater amount of buoyancy efiect is desired. Where a candidate of light weight is to be baptized, the frame is rst lowered into the water until the valve section 32 in the handle la is beneath the surface. This handle section or valve consists of a sleeve 33 with side openings 34 which are designed to be rotated into the position shown in Figure 13, when the openings 35 in the tube [5a are to be closed, while in the operation just above referred to the sleeve 33 is shifted to bring the openings 34 into registry with the openings 35 to admit the desired amount of water. It will therefore be obvious that in this form of the apparatus the buoyancy effect of the receptacle 3| is readily controllable by the operator of the device.

The swingable frame in the modified form is composed of telescoping sections, as described in the preferred form, but the side tubes of the lower section are provided at spaced intervals with openings 36 to receive the spring-actuated locking pins 37. This detent locking means will hold the adjustable upper section at any desired elevation.

Since the construction of the apparatus in respect to the essential parts thereof for this modification correspond to the general construction of the preferred form, corresponding reference numerals of the preferred form are applied to the corresponding parts of the modified form.

While the specific details have been herein shown and. described, my invention is not confined thereto as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Baptismal apparatus comprising a swin able supporting frame, including a foot plate on which the person to be baptized may stand, a pivotal mounting for said frame permitting lowering and raising of the frame and person from and to normally erect position, respectively, said swingable frame comprising adjustable sections for extending and contracting the frame according to the height of the person, one of said sections carrying an auxiliary lifting means adjustable towards and from the frame pivot, and handle means for moving the frame to and from said erect position.

2. Baptismal apparatus comprising a base adapted to be disposed in a baptismal pool, a supporting frame pivotally connected thereto for sustaining a candidate in erect position and during immersion in said pool, and means cooperating with said supporting frame tending to lift the same from immersion position to erect position comprising an air chamber mounted on said swingable frame to provide more or less buoyancy.

3. Baptismal apparatus comprising a base adapted to be disposed in a baptismal pool, a supporting frame pivotally connected thereto for sustaining a candidate in erect position and during immersion in said pool, and spring means connected to said supporting frame tending to increasingly exert an auxiliary lifting action on said frame, when the supporting frame is swung beneath the surface of the pool.

4. Baptismal apparatus comprising a base, a body supporting frame pivotally connected to said base and normally disposed in erect position, a platform connected to said frame on which the candidate may stand, and tensioning means connected to the supporting frame tending to hold 6. it erect, said tensioning means being adjustable to provide an auxiliary lifting action when the frame is elevated from'a lowered position, varying with the weight and height of the candidate.

5. Baptismal apparatus comprising a base, a body supporting frame pivotally connected to said base and normally disposed in erect position, a platform connected to said frame on which the candidate may stand, tensioning means connected to the supporting frame tending to hold it erect, and means for adjusting the tensioning means to accommodate different sizes of candidates.

6. Baptismal apparatus comprising a base, a body supporting frame pivotally connected to said base and normally disposed in erect position, a platform connected to said frame on which the candidate may stand, and tensioning means connected to the supporting frame tending to hold it erect comprising a spring connected at one endto the supporting frame below the pivot thereof, a screw shaft connected to the base, a travelling block on said shaft to which said spring is connected at its other end, and means for adjusting the block and the tension of said spring accordingly.

7. Baptismal apparatus comprising a swingable frame, a pivotal mounting therefor, means for moving said frame to and from an erect posi:- tion, said frame consisting of relatively adjustable sections, means connected to one of said sections for providing an auxiliary lifting means, said lifting means being adjustable to vary the lifting capacity according to the weight and height of the candidate for baptism, and a platform connected to the lower end of said frame on which the candidate for baptism may stand in the erect position aforesaid.

Baptismal apparatus comprising a swingable supporting frame, a horizontal base frame to which the supporting frame is pivotally connected, a screw shaft mounted on said base frame, a tensioning block connected to said screw shaft, spring means connected to said block and lower end of the frame, and means on the swingable frame for adjusting the tensioning block and spring means to regulate the tension applicable to said swingable frame.

9. Baptismal apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the tension adjusting means comprises a vertical shaft mounted on the swingable frame, gears operatively connecting said vertical shaft to the screw shaft and means for actuation of said shafts to move the tensioning block to and fro on the screw shaft.

10. Baptismal apparatus comprising a swingable supporting frame, a horizontal base frame to which the supporting frame is pivotally connected, a screw shaft journaled in the base frame and extending longitudinally thereof, a travelling block mounted on said screw shaft, parallel tensioning springs connected to said travelling block and to the lower end of the swingable frame, actuating means on said swingable frame for rotating the screw shaft to regulate the tension of said springs, a platform connected to the lower end of the swingable frame on which a candidate for baptism stands, hand rails at opposite sides of the swingable frame, and handle means on said swingable frame for swinging the frame from erect to prone position and back to erect position.

11. Baptismal apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the swingable frame is composed of telescoping sections to accommodate candidates of different heights.

12. Baptismal apparatus of the class described,

7 comprising a horizontal base frame, a swingable frame pivotally connected to said base frame, a platform at the lower end of said. swlngable frame, a back section for said swingable frame comprising an air receptacle, and valve means for introducing water into said air receptacle to reduce the buoyancy efiect thereof. V

13o Baptismal apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the valve means forms a part of a. handle member for manipulating the swingable frame to and from lowered position 14. Baptismal apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the swingable frame is composed of telescoping sections, said air receptacle being mounted on one of said sections.

PATRICK H. GARRETT REFERENCES ormn The following references are :ofrecord ih the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS- 

